News
Local

by Gino DonatoFred Delabbio general manager of underground technology and innovation for Rio Tinto announces $10 million over five years in a new research centre at Sudbury's Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI).

Rio Tinto, an international mining company, is investing $10 million over five years in a new research centre at Sudbury's Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI).

The centre, called the Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction, is the fifth of its kind, and will encourage research in rapid mine construction and ground control for underground mining.

"Everywhere we look in our business, we see the need for new technologies. But we can't do it ourselves," said John McGagh, head of innovation and technology at Rio Tinto. McGagh spoke at a press conference on Thursday using a live feed.

He emphasized the role mining will play in the future, stating his company is trying to "come up with a network of partners (to) combine the world's best minds."

It seems that some of these minds are at Sudbury's Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, which focuses on deep mining, mineral exploration and environmental sustainability.

The Rio Tinto Centre's program will concentrate on ground and machine performance. This includes developing new excavation systems, something that's becoming increasingly important as miners are forced to dig deeper to meet their quota.

According to McGagh, demand for substances like copper will increase as countries shift from developing to developed status and begin building more advanced cities.

"Likely, we'll consume the amount of copper in the next 25 to 30 years that we have since the beginning of mining. We're not running out of copper, but we have to go deeper," he said.

Peter Kaiser, president and CEO of Sudbury's mining innovation centre, sees this as an important opportunity, not just for Sudbury, but for the mining industry in general.

"The motivation for today's announcement lies in the fact that companies have moved from open pit mining to underground mining. Time is money and there's a need to make a change in how we develop mines," he said

The $10-million investment will help put Sudbury on the international map, said Fred Delabbio, a general manager of underground mining innovation at Rio Tinto and a board member at Sudbury's mining innovation centre.

"This will be the fifth Rio Tinto Centre. This deliberate approach is to collect world experts, which is why we're here. And it's a mutual benefit," he said.

"This can promote Canada as a centre for excellence in this field."

Outgoing mayor John Rodriguez said the investment is a confirmation that Su dbury's roots are in its mines.